Top 10 Activities

GO FISHING!

For this fishing trip, you won't even need to buy a license!

See the Gone Fishing game for an alternate version with fish templates that have points on them

	gift wrap cardboard tube, long stick or piece of wood (I prefer the gift wrap tube as there's less opportunity for the kids to hurt each other)
	string
	paper clips
	magnets (strong fridge magnets work ok!)
	paper fish

Make your fishing rod (you only need one for the game, but you can make more if you like)

	Tie a string 2 to 3 ft long to the cardboard tube.
	Attach 2 or 3 fridge magnets to the other end of the string

Make your paper fish

	you'll need enough for everyone at the party
	Attach 1 or 2 paperclips to the mouth of the fish.
	Test the # of magnets on the fishing rod and # of paperclips on the fish prior to the party to make sure you can easily catch the fish

Set up your fishing station

	we do our fishing over the back of the couch (pretending the couch is the boat) and just scatter the fish on the carpet.
	You could do it outside with the fish on the grass or driveway (use a large cardboard box as a boat for a bit of extra fun or fish off the deck)
	If you want, you can make your fish out of styrofoam and actually put them in a bucket of water!
	Whatever you choose, make sure the fishing rod string is the right length for your fishing station.

There are a few variations of the game that you can play.

FISH FOR PRIZES:

	This is like the carnival game.
	Write a number on each fish and on a piece of paper, match each number with a small prize.
	Make sure contestants are old enough that they don't start fighting/crying over the prizes (can you tell I have a 2 year old sigh)

FISHING RELAY:

Split your fishermen into teams (ex: red team and blue team).

Make your fish red and blue.

Let each person catch one fish.

	If they catch their colour, they keep it.
	If they catch the other colour, they throw it back.
	Pass the rod onto the next team member (you can put the teams away from the fishing area so they have to run too)
	Keep doing this until one team (the winners) have caught all their fish.

FISHING FOR POINTS (good for teaching math!):

	Write a number on each fish (the numbers should be single digits for young kids and double digits for older kids)... you can set up a pond with separate fishing areas for young and old if you have a group with varying ages/skill levels.
	Let contestants catch 2 fish each
	Make the contestants ADD their fish (if you're fishing from two fishing holes, multiply the single digit scores by 10 before comparing them to the double digit scores).
	Highest point with correct math wins!